Pneumatic elevator and distributer for cotton-gins.



Patented May14, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHIT M0552! [75%7, J By M v A TTOR/VEYS J. L. HART.

PNEUMATIC ELEVATOR AND' DISTRTBUTER FOR COTTON GINS.

APPLICATION 'HLED mu. 13. 1916. RENEWED Nov. 24. 1911.

, 1,265,908. PatentedMay '14, 1918.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH LUTHER HART, 0F OHICKASHA, OKLAHOMA.

rnnuivm'rro ELEVATOR AND nrs'rnriau'rnn FOR oo'r'ron qms.

Application filed January 13,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOSEPH L. HART, a citizenofthe United States, and a resident of Chickasha, in the county of Grady and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Elevators and Distributers for Cotton-Grins, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in pneumatic elevators and distributors for cotton gins, and the invention has for its object to provide mechanism in connection with systems of the character specified, for governing the air pressure in the said system and for permitting the raw cotton to be drawn from the system and thoroughly cleaned from dirt, sand, trash and other foreign matter, and returned to the system for distribution to the gins, with the operation of the system.

A further object is to provide means in connection with the mechanism for governing the air pressure, for cleaning the cotton during its passage, and without removing it from the system.

In the drawings:

- Figure 1 is a side view with parts in section of a pneumatic elevating and distributing system, provided with the improvement;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of the bypass pipe,

Fig. 3 is a section on the line3-3 of Fig.

2, looking in the direction of the arrow adj a- I cent to the line;

'Fig. 4 is a-section on the'li'ne 4-4 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow adjacent to the line;

Fig. 5 is a side view of a system provided with a modified form of cleaner;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a portion of Fig. 5, and

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 77 of Fig. 5, looking in the direction of the arrows adjacent to the line.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 4, a series of gins 1 is shown, each connected by a feed chute2, with a pipe 3, the said pipe being arranged above the series of gins, in such manner that the cotton may pass from 2 to the gins.

The pipe 3 is connected at one end to one ofthe branches 4 of a Y- 5, by means of an elbow 6, and the Y 5 opens axially into the casing 7 of a suction fan, the fan (not Specification of Letters Patent.

without interfering with parts broken away; 1

the pipe 3 through the chutes Patented May 14, 1918.

1916, Serial No. 71,946. I Renewed November 24, 1917 Serial No. 203,862.

shown) being secured to a shaft 8, which is journaled in the casing andin a bearing standard 9, and the shaft is provided with the usual pulley 10 for permitting the same to be driven from a suitable source of power. Each of the gins 1 is provided with a pulley 11 for operating the'same,'the said pulley being secured to a shaft 12 of the gin.

The cotton is taken from the wagons by means of a telescope or supply pipe 13, which is connected at its upper end to an elbow 14. The elbow opens into a cleaning device, consisting of a casing 15 having at one end an inlet opening 16, through which the elbow 14 extends. The casing 15 at the opposite end from the elbow 14 is provided with three branches 17, 18 and 19, respectively, the branch 17 being vertical. I

A screen 20 of perforate material is arranged transversely ofthe casing 15, the said screen extending the full width of the casing, and from the end adjacent to the port 16 to the opposite end. The casing 15 is arc-shaped as shown, longitudinally, and the screen 20 is curved longitudinally in the same manner. At the inlet end of the casing the screen 20 is above the port 16, and at the opposite end the screen is connected with; the dividing or partition member 21 between the branches 17 and 18.

It will be noticed from an inspection of Fig. 2, that as the raw cotton issues from the elbow 14 into the casing, the screen 20 is in the line of movement of the cotton, the cot ton striking the u'nder surface ofthe screen at an acute angle, and the screen will deflect the cotton downward, while thedigh'ter material, as for instance, and the like will pass throughthe screen 20 to that portion of the casing above the screen.

At the junction of the branch 17 with the body of the casing, a cylindrical enlargement 22' is provided, and a shaft 231Sj011r5 naled at the axis of the enlargement transversely of the branch. "This-shaft'is provided with radial blades or vanes 24, and the free edge of each blade is provided with a valve 25, in the form of a strip of flexible material, as for-instance rubber or the like, and each strip orvalve moves incontact with the walls of the enlargement, thus'making a fluid tight 17 and the body of the casing.

This fan 23-24-25 is a feeding device as sand, dirt, hulls 4 closure between'the'b'raneh These well as a valve,.feeding the cotton from the casing 20 down the branch 17, to the other cleaning device to be later described.

The branch 17 communicates with an auxiliary casing 26 at its lower end, and the branch 18 communicates with the upper end of the said auxiliary casing. This auxiliary casing has a discharge outlet 27 at its lower end for the trash and foreign matter, and the said casing communicates with the adjacent end of the pipe 3 at its upper end, as indicated at 28.

A screen29 is arranged transversely of theauxiliary casing, from the lower end to the upper end, and extending the full Width of the casing, and a series of toothed rollers 30 is arranged above the screen. Each of the rollers 30 is secured to a shaft 31, which is journaled in the walls of the casing, and the shafts 31 are arranged in parallel relation, in a plane inclining upwardly and inwardly toward the outlet 28.

It will be noted from an inspection of F ig. 2, that the screen 29 is arched coaxially, or concentric with the shafts 31 at each of the toothed rollers, and the teeth of the rollers rub the cotton along the screen to thoroughly clean the same as it is fed by the rollers from thelowermost to the uppermost and finally delivered at the outlet 28 to the pipe 3.

A deflecting or baiile plate 32 isarranged at the branch 18, the said plate being curved concentric with the adjacent shaft 31, and the free edge of the said plate is almost in the plane through theshafts 31. The plate is arched upwardly as shown. and it will be noticed that-the upper end of the screen 29 is below the outlet 28.

As the cotton enters the casing 15 it is thrown against the screen .20, and light foreign bodies are. thrown from out the meshes of the cotton through the screen 20 into that portion ofv the casing 15 above the screen. The partially cleaned cotton is fed by the feed wheel into the branch 17 and falls upon the lowermost toothed roller 30. rollers cooperate tothoroughly clean the cotton, thoroughly separating the fibers, and tearing the matted cotton into a loose flocculent mass, and the foreign matter, dirt and the like is discharged, passing out throughthe screen 20 into that portion of the auxiliary casing 26 below the screen, and this foreign matter passes out at the outlet 27. The thoroughly cleaned cotton is delivered to .the tributes the cotton to the several gins.

The casing20 and-auxiliary casing 26 are supported by a suitable supporting frame 34, which is in turnsupported by legs 35, and framing timbers 36-eXtend upwardly from-the frame 34 to "a connection with the casings 15 and .26.

A bypass pipe 37 is provided, said pipe ticularly in Fig. 3,

pipe 3, and the said pipe dis being arranged between the branch outlet 19 of the casing 15 and the branch l of the Y 5. One end of the pipe is connected to the branch 19 and the other end is connected to the branch 4 of the Y by the elbow 6. A. portion of the air laden with foreign bodies passes out of the casing 15 thro igh the branch 18, and another portion p: sses'out through the branch 19, and by wayof the pipe 37 to the suction fan.

Valves are arranged in the bypass pipe 37, one of the valves beingbalanced, and the other manually controlled. The last named valve 38 is adjacent to thecasing 15, and this valve is secured to a stem or shaft 39, journaled transversely of, the pipe. The stem or haft 39 is ournaled at its outer end in a bearing 10, in an angle bracket 11, the said bracket consisting of a vertical portion in which is the bearing 10, and a horizontal portion in which is a vertical bearing 12.

The upper end of the vertical portion of the bracket a1 is secured to a supporting bar 43, by means of bolts and nuts 44, and a bevel gear a5 is secured to the shaft or stem 39 on the opposite side of the bearing 40 from the valve 38. This bevel gear meshes with a imilar gear 46 on a vertical shaft 47, which is journaled in the bearing 42, and the said shaft is provided with a hand wheel 48 at its lower end. By means of the hand wheel the valve or damper 38 may be set wherever desired, from a point where the bypass pipe is completely closed to a point where thesaid pipe is completely open.

The balanced valve a9 is arranged in a portion 50 of the bypass pipe that is rectangular in cross section as shown more parand the said valve is a rectangularleaf secured at one end to a shaft 51 which is journaled-in bearings 52 in the opposite sidewall of the rectangular portion of the pipe.

At one end this shaft 51 is provided with a transverse sleeve 53, and a rod 54: is mounted in the bearing sleeve. The rod 54 extends on both sides of the shaft 51, and eylindrical weights 55 and .56 are mounted to slide on therod, and are held in adjusted position by means of set screws 57. By loosening the set screws, the weights 55 and 56 may be adjusted toward and from the sleeve 53, to cause the valve 19 to lift at any desired degree of pressure.

The operation of the device as a whole is as follows:

The cotton unloaded from the wagon by the telescope pipe 13 passes into the casing 15 below the screen 20, and a large portion of the'foreign matter is sucked out of the cotton by the air current passing through the pipes 3 and 37. The cotton is then fed down to the toothed rollers and is thoroughly cleaned at this .point, the trash passingout through the portion 27,- while the cleaned cotton is delivered to'the pipe-,3 and is distributed to the several gins. 1

. Thatportion of the air current which is laden with the foreign matter extracted by the screen 20 and remaining in the auxiliary casing above the screen 29 is delivered to the pipes 3 and 37, finally.passing out at the suction fan. The valve 429 operatesautomatically to control the current of air' through cleaning machine,held in the casings and 26, and the said bypass pipe insures an even distribution of the cotton to the gin.

. \Vhen the cotton is delivered into the pipe 3, it is delivered into a part of the same air current. from which it-is taken. The arrangement is such, that should the current fail of sufficient velocity. in the pipe 3 to carry the cotton, the valve 49 will be-partially closed'to compensate, thus increasing the velocity of the current in the pipe 3.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive, thewagon telescoping pipe 58 is connected with one end of a pipe 59,- corre'sponding to the pipe 3, and connected at the opposite end to one of the branches 60 of a Y 61. The suction fan 62 corresponding to the fan 7, is connected to the Y, and the shaft 63 of the fan which is journaled in the casing and in the standard 64 has a pulley 65 for operating the fan.

The pipe 59 intermediate its ends delivers by the chutes 66 to gins 67, each gin having its pulley 68 for driving the same. The bypass pipe 69 is connected to the branch 70 of the Y at one end, and the other end of said pipe 69 opens into a casing 71 inclosing a portion of the pipe 59 at the end adjacent to the telescope 58.

This casing 71 has a discharge port or outlet 7 2 at its under side, and the said casing is of sufiicient diameter to entirely encircle the pipe 59 and leave an annular space around the said pipe within the casing. The

casing has oppositely arranged registering nipples 73 through which the pipe 59 extends. and that section of the pipe 59 which is within the casing is provided with a series of openings H, which establish a communication between the interior of the pipe 59 and the casing 71.

This perforated portion of the pipe 59 is in efiect a screen, for screening dirt and other foreign matter from the cotton before it passes to the gins. The bypass pipe is provided with a valve or damper 75 corresponding to the valve or damper 38 of Fig.

-cisely the same purpose.

1,. and thesaid valve 7 5' is operated by a hand wheel 76 on a vertical shaft 77, mounted in the samemanneras the shaft 4:7,, and connected to the shaft :7 S-ofthe valve in the same manner that the, shaft. 47; is connected to the shaft orstem 39.

The valve 79 which corresponds tothe valve 49 of Fig. l is mounted in a portion 80 of the-pipe 69'.whichais rectangular in cross section, and this valve :is controlled by weights 81 adjust-ably mounted on a rod 82 connected with the valve.' The valve 79 and its operating mechanism is precisely the same. as that of the valve4c9 and for pre- In the operation of the embodiment shown in Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive, the raw cotton coming from the wagon and passing through the'pipe 59 has the foreign matter withdrawn therefrom through the meshes in said pipe at the openings 74. The foreign matter 'passes out through the openings in the casing; 71,and is delivered to the. outlet port 72. This port 72 in practice will be provided with an automatic valve, for delivering the foreign matter and for preventlng interference wlth the air current throughthe pipes.

'The valve 79in the bypass pipe 69 inv sures a. uniform flow thronghthe pipe 59,- and any foreign matter remainingin the air passing through the pipe 69 will be delivered by the fan in the usual manner. In

either case it will be evident that the 1 cotton is cleaned prior to its delivery to the gins, without entirely removing the same from the air current. That is, in both cases the cotton is cleaned during its passage from the wagon to the several gins.

It will be understood that at the outlets 27 and 72, there is a cloth valve, for the discharge of dirt, to permit the dirt to be passed outwardly, while preventing the passage of air pressure, and the connection of this valve causes the same variations of pressure in the air trunk in the pneumatic tube. The purpose of the bypass pipe is to increase the air pressure in the supply pipe and to govern the pressure in the elevator.

I claim:

1. In a pneumatic elevator and distributer for cotton gins, the combination with the distributing pipe connected with the several gins intermediate its ends, a fan connected with one end of the distributing pipe, and the suction pipe connected with the other end of the distributing pipe, of means in connection with the distributing pipe and arranged between the suction pipe and the gins for cleaning the cotton as it passes from the suction pipe to the gins, and a bypass pipe connected at one end to the distributing pipe atthe end adjacent to the fan and connected at the other endto the cleaning means, and means for regulating'the flow of air through the bypass pipe and controlled by the flow of the air through the system, said means comprising a valve mountedto ue closed by gravity and'to be opened by the air current. through the by pass pipe, and counter-Weights adiustably connected With the valve for varying the closing thereof.

2. In a pneumatic elevator and distributei for cotton gins, the combination With the distributing pipe connected with the several gins intermediate its ends, a fan connected With one end of the distributing pipe, of means in connection with the distributing pipe and arranged between the suction pipeand the gins for cleaning the cotton as it passes from the suction pipe to the gins, and a bypass pipe connected at one end to the distributing pipe at the end adjacent to the fan and connected at the other end to the cleaning means, and means for regulating the flow of air through the bypass pipe and controlled by the flow of the air through the system.

3. In means of the character specified, a main casing having an inlet and an outlet at opposite ends and an intermediate depending branch, a screen Within the casing separating the inlet from'the outlet and directing the inaterial'to the branch, an auxiliary casing connecting the lower end of the branch With the outlet of the main casing,

munication with the outlets of themain and auxiliary casings, a bypass pipe having connection with the rear portion of the main casingadjacent the outlet thereof and connected With the distributing pipe at a point beyond'the feed outlet thereof, means for creating a current of air through the main and auxiliary casings and and "bypass pipes, and an automatic valve in the bypass pipe acted'upon by the flow of air therethrough for controlling the current of ail-through such bypass pipe. I

4. In a pneumatic elevator, distributer and cleaner, the combination With the distributing pipe, of means in connection therewith and arranged at the inlet end of the distributing pipe for cleaning the cotton, a bypass pipe connected at one end to the cleaning means and to the distributing pipe 'near the opposite end thereof, and means for regulating the flow of air through the bypass pipe and controlled by the flow of the air.

JOSEPH LUTHER HART. lVitnesses:

G. G. WRIGHT,

MoGRANAHAN.

Copies of this patent'may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' -Washington, I). C.

the distributing 

